Sunday, January 22, 2017
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Bloomed for a Rain
The grip and gambling of words have disappeared. Yet rain
tempts me to write in some way or other. While reading my old blog posts, I
could see the pride I held in scribbling. It is a great relief to watch rain
for a few months every year. I can unwind myself. Yeah, “unwind” was a favorite
word of mine once upon a time. While mastering my own mother tongue, I hardly
spared time to follow universal language.
Today I am forced to write actually. My phone has zero
balance. I could neither ring up someone or browse and chat via messenger apps.
Above that, there is no power supply since morning. I have been watching rain
all the while. Those drizzling whispered me to write. Rejecting its request is
something I can’t imagine. I haven’t switched on my laptop for a few days. I
was scared adverse climate would affect my laptop. No, it survived.
My desktop background is an image with definition of
‘nostalgia’. The word is defined as sentimental yearning for the happiness of a
former place or time. In reality, a visit to Coimbatore last week supports my
feeling as well as explanation of nostalgia. Coimbatore is a city located in
Tamil Nadu, a state located at the extreme south of Indian peninsula. Known for
educational institutions, city shares its border with Kerala. Like most of the
Malayalis in north Kerala, I too chose this city for my post graduation in
journalism. My college is placed on the outskirts of Coimbatore. Even if I
hated the institution and people inside the campus, I am still a diehard fan of
its surrounding.
To watch rain from there is heavenly. Before joining this
college, one of my friends advised me that beauty of nature would make human
being mad. He asked me to be careful. He was right. Many of the students
especially in women’s hostel underwent treatment for depression. There was a
huge hill with the shape of elephant right next to the campus. Clouds and fog
used to hug and kiss it with great affection. Like devotees praying to the
stone idol placed inside temple, students like me communicated silently with
elephant hill.
On my visit last week, I found everything changed on the
highway except the view of elephant hill. From four lanes, roads have been
transformed to multi lanes. I couldn't spot my campus from the track. Still, elephant
hill consoled me like the way it did five years ago. That mount and valley guarded
me for two years. Whenever my mind was broken, they healed. Every time I fought
with my best friend it would wipe my tears. I cannot express the amount of
loneliness and harsh life I had in that campus.
I looked upon each
rain. Drops fell on earth with no mercy. Earth still waited for downpour
because the soil was so dry. Each drop gave hope. But, rainy season did its
duty and showed its way to another ruthless summer. Earth hoped for a colorful
life. Summer sucked moisture and expectations of ground. Even tears where dried
up. Again and again, earth waited for autumn for its each and every cell to
flourish.
Saturday, April 30, 2016
My Devotion
Holding my thoughts, I prayed a second before scribbling. I am
not a devotee who fixes time for prayers and sit in front of lighted lamps with
closed eyes. Mostly those who do all these might not be able to concentrate for
the whole time being. Their mind would wander through all gossips they have
listened to for the whole day.
My concept of prayer is serene and quiet. I can do it even
while having a piece of watermelon. It is just a divine communication between
me and the Almighty. For that I need no hymns or music. In fact silence is what
I love during prayers. Also I don’t believe that dumping money in devotional
places will please God and would give extra blessings. Instead, give it poor
people. At least offer them money for a meal. Or else, give food and water to
birds and animals. Similarly, water plants that are about to die. Everything
around you is creation of God. Life is about offering little things that could delight
others. That’s the true devotion I believe.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Let Not Be A Melancholy
Nostalgia… My favorite word in English! I’m fond of
everything around. Memories of village, aroma of first downpour, film songs of
my childhood days, mangoes, jackfruits, cows, rice field, river, creeks… what
not! I fear if my blog’s name would come as the last item in my list of reminiscence.
Writing has turned out to be a task.
‘You think in Malayalam and write in English. Better quit
that habit. You should do both in same language’, my brother in law once
advised me. Yeah true! Working for a daily that uses your mother tongue is
really easy. Is it? Even it is tough at times. Yet we are more flexible
compared to a language that you’ve learned by reading, writing and speaking.
Sincerely speaking, I lost my touch in English. Hard it is
to scribble a few words. Moreover I’m very
much concerned about grammatical errors though a few of them will be spotted by
MS Word itself. The flow I had three years ago is missing now. But the likes
for my Facebook page is increasing day by day. Also when I attend any function,
people keep asking what happened to ‘village girl’. Don’t think I am boasting. This
is a platform I nurtured from nothing. I built it with words, feelings and
experiences. I kept torturing people to read. Many ran away just like when you
meet insurance policy agents. When the whole thing became silent, I realized there
is still a handful left who read this blog seriously.
Village and greenery were my energizers. Today I am far away
from both. I sit in my room in my night gowns and try to type a few group of
words. I’ve kept my phones silent. I’ve learned the art of imagining so that I’d
feel the smell of fresh leaves, chirping of little birds and the soothing wind
even if the actual sounds around me is that of tile cutters, hammers and earth
movers.
I wish to write more and more, update every now and then.
Laziness and tight schedules make a fuss of everything. No more fake promises. This
is the world I live, lived and will be living with my real self!
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Language Lost And Found
Monday, September 14, 2015
Munnar Strike - Power of Women
Hill stations are undoubtedly the best
places to relax. Anyone visiting there would wonder how beautiful the
life of natives would be! Oxygen in its purest form, serene weather
and absolute exquisiteness around… it is the same that tempts
people to acquire land in these areas. But truth is different. Days
of folks living out there are absolutely horrible except high class.
Among the hill stations in India,
Munnar is considered as one of the perfect destinations for
honeymooners as well as other tourists. Any user who browses this
name will find picturesque places. Every nook and corner of Munnar is
wonderful. Whether it is river, hill, town, resorts or eateries, all
serve as places of tourist attraction.
For past one week, Munnar is quiet
without tourists. Reason behind it was a strike. Here are a few
features of the iconic attempt:
- Conducted by plantation workers of Kannan Devan Plantation
- Ladies in the forefront
- No leader or political parties to lead
- Around 5000 females took part
- Demands were salary hike and increase in bonus
- Politicians were not encouraged
- Venue was National Highway from Kochi to Dhanushkodi
- Protestors blocked NH for nine days
- Most of the participants were Tamilians
On Sunday, opposition leader of Kerala
legislative assembly, VS Achuthanandan joined the camp. He announced
he’d be there till the problem is solved. A man of 90’s sat for
the whole day with protestors. By night, their demands were agreed.
Usually they were paid only a minimum of Rs. 232. They had to pluck
21 kilos of tea leaves per day. Even if they give an outcome of 100
kilos, they are paid just Rs. 308. So they went on with a strike for
minimum pay of Rs. 500. They also wanted bonus of 20%.
Womenfolk didn’t entertain
participation of men in the strike as they feared males can be easily
influenced by management. Only person whom they trusted was VS
Achuthanandan.
It must be admitted that this is one of
the historic effort with no banners of any political or social
organization. Sadly the credits of this fight back don’t belong to
women of Keralites. Malayali females love to live cozy life. Albeit
they wish to oppose for a social cause, their family won’t allow.
There will be a few exceptions. Yet most of the family setup in
Kerala thinks a woman who raises her voice is a burden. So Malayali
female community is covered up with ‘emotional shatters’. Apart
from household jobs and office works, she’d seldom have a world.
Spotting a lady dancing in a procession in Kerala might be a tedious
task. Happiness, sorrow and anger has its limit when it comes to
Malayali ladies and the boundary won’t go beyond the four walls of
her house. Way to go Tamil ladies… You showed the world what’s
female power. Salute for your courage and effort!
Thursday, July 23, 2015
For A Dad Who Never Made Him Smile
Image Courtesy: http://daily.bhaskar.com
She came with her two kids for
our college ‘get together’. Elder one is four and second is two years old.
While the younger baby made merry, other one was quiet. His eyes didn't bear
the charisma of childhood. I was observing him all the while.
Though my friend or his mom
agreed that her eldest son had all favors of being the first baby, his life was
strange. From the day of birth, he had to face lots of problems. While all
other kids of his age lived their life so happily, he couldn't.
His mom is a divorcee. She had to
face mental, physical and sexual harassment from her husband. And the saddest
part is, the elder son had to witness all these almost every time. Moreover, he
forcefully made this baby to drink alcohol. For the boy his dad was a scary
creature.
As soon as he turned four, his
mom admitted him in a nursery school. Other fellows in his class used to entertain
him. Yet it'll take time for him to recover.
His mom told me, “He would still
say 'I'm going back to my dad's place', when I beat or scold him.”
There is nothing that time could
heal especially in a kid's mind. He longs for dad's presence even if his dad
never made him smile.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Lady Drive
I'm a keen observer of advertisements
especially the female aspects. There are certain typical styles in
which ladies are pictured like:
- Best cook
- 'Washing Machine'
- Fair and Lovely obsessed
- Make-up loving
- Cleaning creature
- Gold admirer
I'm fed up of watching all these shows.
I wished for a change badly. Not even a rare shot was played with the
actual day to day special activities of ladies except in the ads of napkins.
Now comes the change! Chevrolet has
come up with an ad for its Chevrolet
Enjoy recently. A young woman plays the role of driver and her mom
(can be mom-in-law too) takes the front seat. These seats are always
occupied by men. Only exception is when she is traveling with her
hubby, the front seat will be taken over by wife at times. Overall,
the ad is perfect and cute. Way to go ad wizards!
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
City Dweller Village Girl
Your appearance and dialogues are
perfect for a city dweller. You are doing injustice to yourself by a
label 'village girl'- commented my colleague a few days back.
He is true to a certain extend. I keep
my hair loose and perfectly shampooed. I apply make-up. I use large
fancy earrings, bangles and chains. I'm active in social media over
phone. I visit malls and wear modern outfit.
But way back, there was a village girl
who tied her oiled hair as ponytail and wore only churidars while
going out. I was shy then. I spoke quietly. Confronting before guys
was a scary thing for me. I didn't talk or went out with them. Going
for movies at cinema hall was a recreation for men in my village.
Theaters even now is not a place for women to visit.
I started wearing jeans just five years
back. At first, I found it odd. Now I'm absolutely comfortable with
that costume.
However during my visit to my hometown,
I wear churidars only with shawl 'neatly' pinned. Malls are just for window shopping. I still love to buy things from
street-vendors. Visit to theaters have become a hobby for me. Along
with pizzas or burgers, I like to eat banana fries, hot dosas from eateries and laddu!
Deep inside, village girl still
survives. I must admit parties make me worried as I find myself
estranged and outcast. My life and identity revolves around my little
green village.
Saturday, June 13, 2015
To Be Completed
A book, couple of cushions and view of drizzling made my days. Pelting used to soothe my body before. Now the voice of raindrops give me no pleasure. My mind and physique has changed. I enjoy being busy all the while. From 7 am till 1 am, life is at its fullest. Yet I find I have left out a few activities that I used to do in my yesterdays. Blogging is one among them. I've promised my readers ( I still wonder how many) that I'd update every now and then this year. I couldn't manage to keep up my promise. There are many reasons to skip my habit of scribbling something as “Village Girl”
- Assignments to meet up: I believe I'm a person who makes it a point to finish works assigned. When work comes, naturally this becomes second option
- On time at office: I make it a habit to reach at office without delay.
- Deadlines for library: Constant reminders from librarians to return back books is another thing. Reading some books can be a huge task especially if it is boring and yet you have to complete it just because it is too famous. Otherwise, you'll be left out in a crowd that talk about books.
- House duties to complete: There will be heap of dust in every corner of the flat. I cannot spare the cleaning duties for next day. I must admit my husband is very helpful. But the kitchen in India is still framed for ladies. Moreover I need to eat. Although my hubby would try his hand in cooking once in a while, kitchen is my world.
A few things I'd leave to fulfill my main duties are blogging, watching television and hangouts with friends. Heretofore I'm happy with the happenings around. Don't worry, I'll be here once in while depending on the encouragement and comments you give as a reader and a buddy!
Monday, May 18, 2015
Amma, My First Expert
Time is 10.30. I just completed my works at kitchen though a
few utensils are yet to be washed. I still have time till 4 o' clock to finish
up my role as homemaker and rush to my office. Yet I find it hard to manage
time. Usually, I post almost on the same day for any Indiblogger competitions.
These days I must admit that I rarely scribble anything for contests. My life
is absolutely busy. Only time left for me to read books is while making dosas.
With one hand I'd make dosa, while other will hold a book. Even then I've to
renew books from library once or twice before I reach the last page.
Here is Amma, my mom who keeps wondering me. She reaches
anywhere and everywhere before time after finishing all household duties. Early
morning, she'd get up. After the morning affairs, she rushes to temple. Then to
kitchen. From breakfast till evening snacks, she cooks within two hours. In
five minutes she'd be ready to go to her office. It's not just a salwar, but
saree that she has to wrap around. She dresses so neatly without exposing. She
will be one of the first to reach office.
Once her work is done, Amma will be back home by around 6.30
pm. She makes a glass of tea or boost and eats a few snacks or leftovers of
breakfast. A few minutes of rest. Then dinner making and eating. She'd have
some chitchat with us. Finally she'd watch comedy programs in TV and then to
bed.
I've talked and seen many busy people. Yet Amma is my guide
for time management. In between all these busy schedules, she finds time to
care, love and makes her family feel special. I am so blessed to be born as
your daughter. Thank you Amma!
(This post is written as token of love for my mom
as well as for Godrej MY FIRST EXPERT contest.)
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Conquer It Like A Queen
“My
life is a waste. I’m an utter failure. I must get rid of this life.”- Every
month she felt a kind of suicidal tendency. She started crying for no reason.
Her days were gloomy. But once her periods started, she felt so relieved. Life
became bright again with so much of hopes. Then only she happened to read about
pre-menstrual depression. Now she is happy even in those days and knows how to
get rid of that state. It is not the case of a single lady, but about 70-90%
women has this kind of depression. Medical world has termed it as Premenstrual Syndrome.
PMS depression is the most terrible case of premenstrual syndrome which
includes both physical and emotional pain. This occurs usually two weeks before
a woman menstruates.
Initially
PMS depression was neglected with a conclusion that it was caused simply out of
a female’s pressure in life. Only from 1980s, it was accepted as an illness by
the society. PMS depression symptoms have a key role in a woman’s social,
occupational and sexual activities. There are more than 200 symptoms associated
with PMS. Feeling of sadness or hopelessness, tensed or anxious, feels like
crying always, irritable, difficulty in concentrating, lacks energy,
oversleeping or insomnia and change in appetite are the main signs and symptoms
of Premenstrual Syndrome. Also, there might be a few physical symptoms associated
with the menstrual cycle such as bloating, abdominal cramps, constipation,
swelling or tenderness in the breasts, cyclic acne and joint or muscle pain.
Actually
PMS depression is caused by imbalance of a few hormones including aldosterone,
cortisol, serotonin, androgen and glucocorticoids. It can also be caused by
nutritional factors, high caffeine intake, family history, increasing age and
stress. Informative counseling is an
important remedy to face those days with confidence. In addition to that
reduction of sodium intake, decreasing drinking caffeine and doing aerobic
exercises can help to reduce the symptoms. Finally, the best solution is to
seek an advice of a physician. The symptoms can be effectively controlled by
treatment for specific symptoms. Without treatment too, symptoms will decrease
gradually and disappear at menopause.
PMS
depression is not a life threatening disease. Any female can surmount it by
knowing how to overcome it. Always remember that, it is not a special disease.
Majority of ladies around the world suffer this emotional problem before their
menstruation. Be confident; hang out with your friends! Enjoy every day and
have fun…. After all, the world is yours dear female.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
I Love You For Ten Rupees
An off day, I and my hubby decided to spend a few moments at
Kozhikode beach. We have in fact made a routine to visit beach on our holidays.
Kozhikode beach, like every other seashore, has some usual sights of snacks
sellers, beggars and security men. There are some variety cuisines like ice-cream
porichath (fried ice cream) and ice orachath (mixed fruits or
vegetables with vinegar, sweets and ice cubes) near beachside. Only difference at
this beach is that people don’t step in to water as the drainage flows to this
part of the sea. Anyone can see the open canals carrying waste water which mixes
up with sea waves.
We somehow managed to get a quiet place facing sea. The sun has already moved to other side of
the planet. Music of waves soothed our ears. Then we saw a little girl of about
four to five years of age walking through the sandy shore. Her dress and hair
were shabby. She has not taken bath recently. Her hands held some balloons. My hubby
decided to offer her ten rupees.
‘How much?’ asked my hubby pointing to balloons. She said ‘dhus
rupaiya’ (ten rupees). He offered ten rupees as alms. Instantly, she gave us a
yellow balloon and walked away. Though my husband told her to take it back, she
moved without listening. I stared at that yellow balloon. There were three
words scribbled on it, I LOVE YOU.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Thursday, March 12, 2015
My Partner In Crime Turns Five
I wonder how many hours I stared before my laptop to
scribble. Yet, I am not sure what to write about my past. Now its official- my
blog completed five years! Am I excited? I’m supposed to be so. But I regret
for spoiling VOICE OF A VILLAGE GIRL with utter silence for many months.
From the valley of elephant hills, I began a journey with
this sphere of mine. Many encouraged while most of the people discouraged. A
couple of people told me I boast so much on the subject of blogging. I am not
sure of it anyway. As years passed, same ones advised me not to stop writing.
Indeed, I was a common name in blogosphere. I must admit it
was a late realization. The best known blogger of Malayalam, Mr. Berly Thomas
once told me he have visited village girl’s blog when I gave him my blog link.
He told me many have referred my blog and that’s how he’d reach here. He warned
me not to make this blog standstill. Sincerely speaking, I was so happy and
overjoyed to get complements from such a blogger celebrity.
If you ask me to describe how special my blog is, I’d be
confused. My lover, admirer, listener, promoter, friend…! I nurtured from ashes
to a somehow good looking blog suffering great pain. I had fights, smiles and
tears with my blog. It knows me more than anyone else. It had helped me to hide
emotions between words. But I was never faithful. I rarely looked in after
three years. Today I regret. My Indiblogger status, Google Rank and followers
count are sinking. I’m worried of its
future. A successful product has been blemished for my personal grudges.
Again, I must thank all those who stood by me during my good
and bad days. Anjali Kumar, Meenakshi, Anees, Vibin Das… Names are lessening
each year. Well, I’m all set for a comeback! I wish I could. There are a few
more names to mention. Nevertheless they are not interested to hear it from me.
Hmm… Relations still remain as my weakness. Happy birthday my love! Keep me
moving as you know you are the best to motivate and promote my mind as well as
thoughts. Live long…
Monday, March 9, 2015
Theiyyam – Commoners’ God
Being a Malabari or a person who resides at Malabar is
something I am proud of. I’ve tried to explore almost all peculiar features of
this region from festivals, costumes, food (except non-veg) and of courses
places. However I’d never view the performance of the best and colorful
devotional art form of North Kerala, the theiyyam.
Last Sunday I happened to attend that much awaited art
performance. My mother’s home is in Kannur. It is the primary location of theiyyam
festivals. It starts by November and ends in May. This season is actually
associated with harvest. Earlier it was conducted in barren fields after reap.
This is held by families. They usually has a sacred grove named kavu and
is considered to have presence of God.
Although I’ve visited many temples across South India, I’ve
not been to a theiyya kavu . I felt it is more public and intimate to
common folks. There is no much dress code. Only thing you’ve to keep in mind is
to remove chapels before entering kavu.
Another point is it is a devotional as well as leisurely
festival. If you are a person who keeps on checking the watch and complains it
is running late, it is a wrong place for you to visit. You’ve enough time to
mingle with people around.
The costume of theiyyam is very heavy and elegant. It
takes about 8-9 hours for make-up. The head cover for some are as high as a
coconut tree. This headdress is put on once theiyyam artist sits in front of
sanctum in holy peetham or stool. And then the artist stares into a hand
held mirror. This is known as mukhadarshanam . Then he transforms
himself to a holy being. He dances and speaks to people as god. We’d go close
to him. He’ll hold our hands and would patiently hear our problems. I was amazed
to see such long queues. Human beings of all ages, caste, creed, religion or
sex are present there. Usually the whole thing is performed at night.
The highlight of that day was Gandakarnan, a theiyyam
that ties 14 fire sticks around his body and has very long headdress. Apart
from this, theechamundi is
another showpiece where the artist jumps into fire more than 100 times. Next
time I’m going to watch it. I’d say if you are visiting Kerala during theiyyam
season, never miss these as it it’d not only gives a delight to your senses
but also you’d mingle with true Malabaris.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
A Journalist Fan
Can you be a fan of a celebrity as well as a journalist at
the same time? This question had been haunting me for a while. Journalism ethics
says all are equal before you. We are not even supposed to address anyone as
sir/madam but Mr./Ms. Every human creature in front of you is either a source
or subject.
Leaving apart the ethics, I always end up saying “I’m a huge
fan of you. I admire your talents so much”. As soon as the interview with a
celebrity is over, I sit before computer fearing if I could do justice as a
journalist. I must write impartially. The only people I’m committed to should
be common readers. They expect a neutral view from my side.
While reporting for Kerala State Youth Festival in January, I
happened to meet violin maestro Balabaskar. He was a participant in 1980s. He
was memorizing those days. I went straight to him and said, “Balu chetta, njan
thankalude valiya oru fan aanu” (Baluji, I’m a great admirer of yours). Just
after uttering those words, I was like ‘Oops, again the aficionado in me is out’.
I knew every bit of him from his role as a judge of a reality show till the
formation of his new band Balaleela.
I’ve always wondered whether other media persons also feel
the same. There are reports appearing in news papers regarding royal family at
Thiruvananthapuram. Readers would find blind devotion in reports. Members of
royal family might be clean or corrupted. But it is the court that gives final
verdict. Same is the case of devotional centers and human-gods. Fidelity of
writers overpowers actual facts.
At last I’d conclude with a thought that we are also human
beings. We do have our own faith that may interpret our thoughts during our
work. But I also admit the best journalists are those who’d remain at the middle-of-the-road.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Just A Chat Away
Image courtesy: EQUIPPING FOR EMINISTRY
I have wondered how people could speak over phone for hours.
My subject to talk in phone will be ended by maximum of one hour. But I had
days where I used to spend 5-6 hours chatting with my friends. Whether it is
sms, apps or Gtalk, I managed to extend conversations. Here are the main three
reasons for my love to chat:
No need of face-to-face talks
Great people say decency is to speak face-to-face. If we are
far away or if we could not handle an emotional person, chatting is the best
option. We could easily convince a person to accept the reality by means of
non-vocal ways especially chat. Moreover, you could communicate with a fellow
who lives on the other side of the globe without wasting a huge amount of money
as phone bill. All you need is an internet connection which cost no more than Rs.
1000 a month.
I could message my husband or my family about the important
updates. In case of phoning, they might hang up saying they are busy or even
cancel the call. While I message, they could look out when they are free. It
will be there in their phone or computers.
Friends and family Groups
I am constantly in touch with my cousins at America, Europe,
Africa or Middle-East. We are connected by social media chats or messenger
services. Same is the case with friends. I am an active participant in all the
groups I’ve joined. I know what is going on in my friends as well as relatives’
circle. They would update me even the minute details like what is the curry there
for lunch, from where did they buy their new dress, how did they manage to
drive their kids to school etc. Along with them, I too feel the pressure they
face for exams, the mood swings they face and so on. Gossips and appreciations are
shared well via chat more than phone calls. Smileys add colors to it. If we
bear the ‘smiley’ expressions on over face, it’d be really awkward!
Romance at its best
In earlier days, lovers used to express their feelings over
love letters although they may meet once in a while. This proves romance can be
portrayed by written words rather than speech. As technology grew, written
letters paved way for electronic means. Messengers and chats took over the
show. E-mails are also rarely sent by couples. Guys or girls who are committed
will be busy typing in their laptops or mobiles. If you are unsure about this,
just check a few college hostels (school hostels too).
Letters express the untold feelings and thoughts that our vocal
chords fail to articulate. Days are awesome when you come to know your friends
and family is just at a click away.
This blogpost is an entry to Happy Hours of Indiblogger conducted by Quikr.com
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